Almaty District
Russian military outpost (1850s) became Soviet Kazakhstan's capital, building financial and cultural infrastructure that couldn't relocate when political capital moved to Astana (1997). Now generates 20.6% of GDP with $56B GRP. By 2026, network effects will deepen its role as Central Asia's financial hub.
Almaty emerged in the 1850s as Verniy, a Russian military outpost on the ancient Silk Road at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains. The geographic position that made it a waypoint for medieval caravans—fertile piedmont, abundant water from glacial melt, temperate climate—would make it Soviet Kazakhstan's capital and modern Kazakhstan's commercial engine.
Soviet planners built Almaty as Kazakhstan's administrative and cultural hub, establishing universities, research institutes, and the infrastructure that still anchors its service economy. When independence came in 1991 and the capital moved to Astana in 1997, Almaty didn't wither but transformed—specialization had created a financial and cultural ecosystem that couldn't be relocated by decree.
By 2024, Almaty generates 20.6% of Kazakhstan's GDP with a GRP of $56 billion despite holding just 10% of the population. Financial services, IT, and trade drove 10.1% growth in 2023. The city attracts 25.3% more fixed capital investment annually than any other region. Over 340,000 active businesses—16.2% more than 2022—cluster here, creating network effects that reinforce its primacy even as the political capital sits 1,200 kilometers north.
Through 2026, Almaty will deepen its role as Central Asia's financial and tech hub, leveraging network effects that make talent and capital cluster where other talent and capital already exists. The question isn't whether Almaty remains Kazakhstan's economic center—path-dependence ensures that—but whether infrastructure constraints and earthquake risk force a rethinking of growth models.